1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for in situ remediation of contaminated environments, and particularly to the remediation of soil and/or groundwater contaminated with halogenated hydrocarbons.
2. Description of the State of Art
With increased concerns over protecting the environment and public health and safety, the identification and removal of contaminant materials in the environment, and especially from the groundwater supply, has become one of the most important environmental concerns today. Years of unregulated dumping of hazardous materials have severely contaminated the groundwater in many areas, creating significant health concerns and causing extensive damage to the local ecosystem. As a result, in recent years significant emphasis has been placed upon the clean-up and remediation of contaminated groundwater and the environment surrounding dump sites, which has lead to the creation of a new industry of environmental clean-up and remediation. However, conventional technologies currently being used for remediation for contaminated sites often are very expensive, can require years to perform, and are not always effective.
Because of the widespread use of both chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons, contaminated ground water has been found in many sites around the world. Chlorinated solvents, such as trichloroethane (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), are used for such purposes as dry cleaning, and as degreasers and cleaners in a variety of industries. Petroleum hydrocarbons commonly found in ground water include the components of gasoline, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Other common contaminants of ground water include naphthalene and chlorinated solvents. Additional groundwater and soil contaminants comprise polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) created from combustion, coal coking, petroleum refining and wood-treating operations; and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), once widely used in electrical transformers and capacitors and for a variety of other industrial purposes, pesticides, and herbicides.
Various ex situ and in situ methods have been utilized for the treatment, remediation or disposal of contaminated soil. Ex situ methods generally include permanent removal of the contaminated soil to a secure landfill, incineration, indirect thermal treatment, aeration, venting, and air sparging. Removal of contaminated soil to landfills is no longer an attractive alternative on account of the high excavation, transportation and disposal costs, and because of the potential for residual liability. Incineration and indirect thermal treatment can be achieved either on-site or off-site, but in either case involves excavation, handling and treatment of substantially all of the contaminated soil as well as significant amounts of soil adjacent to the contaminated soil. The soil must then either be transported to the treatment facility or else the treatment apparatus must be installed on-site. Other elaborate and expensive techniques that have been utilized involve excavation and treatment of the contaminated soil using multistep unit operations for separating and recovering the soil from the contaminants.
Additional existing clean-up methods and technologies include “pump and treat” methods in which contaminated groundwater is pumped to the surface, cleaned chemically or by passing the groundwater through a bioreactor, and then reinjected into the groundwater. Such a process generally is carried out over a long period of time, typically one to ten years or more. A common remediation treatment for ground water contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons involves pumping the water out of the well or aquifer, volatizing the contaminants in an air stripping tower, and returning the decontaminated water to the ground site. A related type of environmental remediation is the “dig and haul” method in which contaminated soils are removed and then treated or land filled.
The biggest problem with pump and treat systems is that, over time, they become more and more inefficient, so that stable residual concentrations become established. When this happens, the system is said to be “flat-lined” and very little further benefit is obtained. In addition, channeling often occurs so that large pockets of contamination are left behind, and rebound frequently occurs after the pumps are turned off.
A wide variety of materials and methods have been evaluated for in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons, including zero valent iron (ZVI), potassium permanganate, and hydrogen peroxide. ZVI renders the chlorinated hydrocarbon less toxic by reductive dehalogenation, i.e., by replacement of chlorine substituents with hydrogen. In this method, reactive walls are constructed by digging a trench across the plume migration path and filling it with iron filings. Sheet piling or some other means of directing the flow of groundwater is used to direct contaminated groundwater through the filing wall. The chlorinated hydrocarbons react with the elemental iron as the groundwater flows through the wall, and ideally, clean water emerges on the down gradient side of the wall. The disadvantage of the wall method lies in the difficulty of introducing large volumes of solid reactive material, such as iron particles, at effective depths. Conventional excavation methods generally limit the practical working depth to about 30 feet, whereas ground water contaminants are found at depths as great as 300 feet.
Oxygen release materials (ORMs) are compositions such as intercalated magnesium peroxide that release oxygen slowly and facilitate the aerobic degradation of hydrocarbon contaminants in situ. ORM's are most effective when used to polish up after a mechanical system has flat-lined and are least effective at new sites where no other remedial measures had been implemented. They are disadvantaged in that ORMs are expensive, and large amounts are required for complete oxidation. Additionally, multiple treatments are often required in order to achieve targeted cleanup goals, and up to five years may be needed to complete the process.
Hydrogen Release Compound® (HRC) is an alternative option for the in situ remediation of chlorinated hydrocarbons under anaerobic conditions via reductive dehalogenation. When in contact with subsurface moisture, HRC® is hydrolyzed, slowly releasing lactic acid. Indigenous anaerobic microbes (such as acetogens) metabolize the lactic acid producing consistent low concentrations of dissolved hydrogen. The resulting hydrogen is then used by other subsurface microbes (reductive dehalogenators) to strip the solvent molecules of their chlorine atoms and allow for further biological degradation. HRC® is injected into the affected environment under pressure and each treatment lasts for roughly six to nine months. Like ORMs, HRC® is expensive, and large amounts are required for complete degradation. Additionally, multiple treatments are always required in order to achieve targeted cleanup goals, and up to five years may be needed to complete the process.
Another emerging clean-up technology is “bioremediation,” in which natural or genetically engineered microorganisms are applied to contaminated sites such as groundwater, soils or rocks. In this technique, specialized strains of bacteria are developed which metabolize various hydrocarbons such as gasoline, crude oil, or other hydrocarbon-based contaminates and gradually reduce them to carbon dioxide and water. However, such bacterial remediation requires that the bacteria and the hydrocarbon be brought into intimate contact under conditions in which the bacteria will act to metabolize the hydrocarbons. This requires extensive labor and effort to spread the bacteria on the soil and then to continually work and rework the contaminated area, turning and tilling the soil, until such time as the bacteria have been brought substantially into contact with all of the contaminated hydrocarbon particles. An additional drawback has been the ineffective spreading of injected bacteria due to clogging around the wells due to adsorption and growth of the bacteria about the wells.
The above-described technologies share one or more of the following drawbacks. (1) Long periods of time are required for sustained reduction in contaminant concentrations to be realized. (2) Although reductions can be realized, regulatory cleanup standards or goals for soil and groundwater are seldom attained. (3) Performance is inconsistent and highly dependent on site conditions and contaminant levels. (4) With respect to active systems, contaminants are often removed from one formation (groundwater for example) and then released into another, such as air. As a result, contaminants are not destroyed, just moved from one place to another. (5) With respect to passive systems for treatment of chlorinated solvents, by-products are often released that are more toxic than the original contaminants, creating a transient condition more egregious than what existed before treatment.
There is still a need for remediation processes to effectively clean up soil and/or groundwater contaminated with hydrocarbons, and/or halogenated hydrocarbons, that is rapid, cost effective, and does not release toxic by-products into the soil, air or groundwater.